Centre Notifies Appointment of 30 Judges Across Four High Courts, Including Five Judges to Madras High Court

August 8, 2026 :The Central government has notified the appointment of 30 judges across four High Courts, strengthening the higher judiciary amid continuing concerns over judicial vacancies and case pendency. The appointments include five judges to the Madras High Court and additional judges to the Madras, Calcutta, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh High Courts.

The latest appointments comprise permanent and additional judges and are intended to augment the judicial strength of the High Courts, improve the disposal of pending cases and ensure the effective functioning of constitutional courts.

Five Judges Appointed to Madras High Court

Five judicial officers have been appointed as judges of the Madras High Court. The newly appointed judges are Govindarajan Krishnaswamy, Rajnish Pathiyil, Ramesh Natarajan, G.K. Muthukumaar and Ramakrishnan Rajesh Vivekananthan.

In addition, ten judicial officers have been appointed as additional judges of the Madras High Court. They are Raveekumar Sankaranarayanan, Dilip Kumar Nagarajan, Ellappan Manoharan, Dr. P. Murugan, M.D. Sumathi, S. Alli, C. Thirumagal, Shanmugam Karthikeyan, Murugesan Baluchamy and N. Gunasekaran.

The appointment of additional judges is provided for under the constitutional framework governing High Courts. Additional judges are generally appointed to meet temporary increases in judicial workload or address the disposal of pending matters. Their continuation or appointment as permanent judges is subject to the applicable constitutional process.

Eight Additional Judges Appointed to Calcutta High Court

The Calcutta High Court has received eight additional judges under the latest notification. The appointees are Aryak Dutt, Atarup Banerjee, Sandip Kumar De, Partha Pratim Roy, Sudip Deb, Anuj Singh, Arjun Ray Mukherjee and Rishad Medora.

The appointments are expected to strengthen the judicial capacity of the Calcutta High Court and assist in dealing with the substantial volume of civil, criminal, constitutional and other litigation pending before the court.

Six Additional Judges Appointed to Karnataka High Court

The Central government has also appointed six additional judges to the Karnataka High Court. The newly appointed judges are Raghavendra Seetharam Srivatsa, Hema Kulkarni, Subramanya Rangarao, Vivekananda Thadagavadi Prakash, Pramod Bakkeswara and Shanthi Bhushan Hombe Gowda.

The additional judicial strength is expected to support the Karnataka High Court in dealing with its growing workload and improve the timely hearing and disposal of cases.

Amit Lahoti Appointed as Additional Judge of Madhya Pradesh High Court

Amit Lahoti has been appointed as an additional judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

The appointment forms part of the broader effort to address vacancies in the higher judiciary and strengthen the institutional capacity of High Courts across the country.

Appointments Aim to Strengthen Higher Judiciary

Judicial vacancies have a direct impact on case pendency and the ability of courts to provide timely justice. Increasing the number of serving judges can help High Courts distribute their workload more effectively and facilitate the hearing and disposal of pending matters.

The appointments are made under the constitutional framework governing the higher judiciary. Under Article 217 of the Constitution, the appointment of judges of a High Court is made by the President in accordance with the constitutional consultation process. Article 224 provides for the appointment of additional and acting judges of High Courts in specified circumstances.

The newly appointed judges are expected to assume office after completing the necessary constitutional and administrative formalities. Their joining will further strengthen the judicial benches of the respective High Courts and contribute to improving access to justice and reducing delays in adjudication.